Zendaya Explains Why She Exited The Aaliyah Biopic

While Lifetime has found a new actress to replace Zendaya in their upcoming Aaliyah biopic, the 17-year-old took to Instagram to explain why she backed out of the made-for-television film. As it was reported Friday that Nickelodeon star Alexandra Shipp will be replacing her, Zendaya says she didn’t leave the project because of the haters, but because “the production value wasn’t there.”

“I tried my best to reach out to the family on my own, and I wrote a letter, but I was unable to do so; therefore, I felt not really morally OK with moving forward with the project.”

That being said though, Zendaya did wish Shipp all the best and asked her fans to stop the drama.

“Let’s practice motivation and love; not discrimination and hate. All right?”

Check out her explanation below:

Samantha Lui is a writer living in Toronto. When she isn't writing, shooting videos or interviewing people, she can be found alone at the movie theater. You can follow her on Twitter (@samanthalui_) or find out more on her site samanthalui.ca.